Automobile initial holder



Oct. 14, 1941. H. L. MOYER 2,259,042

AUTOMOBILE INITIAL HOLDER Filed Nov. 7, 1939 J QILUQ/Wtbb 6 Hen m LiMmer Patented Oct. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

AUTOMOBILE INITIAL HOLDER Henry Lawrence Moyer, Richmond, Va.

Application November 7, 1939, Serial No. 303,293

Claims.

This invention relates to initial holders and fastening devices and moreparticularly to an improved means for securing an initial on the side ofa motor vehicle body or door.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved fastening meanswhich may be secured to one side of an initial holder so that thefastening means may be projected through one or more openings providedin the side of a door or vehicle body, the fastening means includingmeans for automatically locking the device against withdrawal fromthewall of the door or body.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved attachingmeans in the form of a base plate and yieldable securing means carriedby the plate which are adapted to be projected through an openingprovided in a supporting body, the fastening means being compressibleduring the insertion thereof through the support and thereafterexpansible to a locking position so as to thereby lock the fasteningmeans and the plate against removal from the support.

A further object of this invention is to provide an initial holdingmeans and fastening means for attaching the initial holding means on asupport, the initial holder being so constructed as to permit of theready insertion of initials therein which if desired may be readilylocked against removal.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improvedfastening means for an initial holding device including a plate and atleast one pair of yieldable locking fingers which are adapted to lockthe holder on a vehicle body or door.

To the foregoing objects and to others which may hereinafter appear, theinvention consists of the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts as will be more specifically referred to andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown an embodimentof this invention, but it is to be understood that changes,modifications and variations may be resorted to which fall within thescopeof the invention as claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a detail front elevation partly broken away and in sectionof an initial holder constructed according to an embodiment of thisinvention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure1.

Referring to the drawing and first to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the numeralIII designates generally an initial holder which includes a body plateII provided with a plurality of openings I2 through which initialmembers generally designated as I4 are adapted to be exposed. The plateII at its upper end merges into an upwardly, rearwardly and downwardlydirected flange Il and at its lower end merges into a downwardly,rearwardly and upwardly directed flange II". The flanges Il II coactwith the inner face of the plate II to form upper and lower channels I3,I3, respectively. The channel I3 is of inverted U- shape contour. Thechannel I8 is of U-shape contour. Each initial member I4 has its upperand lower ends formed with extension means I5 spaced inwardly from thesides thereof. The extension means I5 of an initial member I4 arearranged in the channels I3, It whereby the initial member I4 issupported by the wall of the lower channel I3, as Well as retained andcon-v nected to the plate II rearwardly of the inner face of the latterfor exposure through an opening I2. The front wall of each channel isformed with spaced pairs of spaced detents I6 bordering the upper andlower walls of the openings I2. The extension means I5 of an initialmember I4 are arranged between an upper and a lower pair of detentswhereby such member I l is retained in exposure position relative toplate II. Y

The holder I0 includes a yieldable fastening and supporting means forsecuring it to the wall I! of a vehicle body or door. The said meanscomprises a base plate I8 formed with a length wise slot I8 and a pairof spaced aligned rear; wardly directed resilient latching devices I9.The plate I8 is disposed rearwardly of plate II and it is secured to therear walls of the channels I 3, I3 The devices I9 are integral with thelengthwise walls of the slot IB The looking devices I9 are of like formand each consists of a pair of oppositely disposed like resilientlocking fingers I9a of narrow strap-like form. Each finger '99. includesa curved inner portion 20 integral with and extending rearwardly from alengthwise wall of slot I8, a locking portion 2| of arcuate formintegral at one end with the rear end of portion 28 and an inwardlyinclined rearwardly guiding portion 22 integral at one end with theother end of locking portion 2I. The fingers [9a of each locking deviceI9 are adapted to extend through an opening 23 in the wall I I with thecurved portions 20 of said fingers bearing against the upper and loweredges of the opening 23, and with the parts 24 of the locking portions2| of such fingers bearing against the rear face of the wall l'l wherebythe holder l9 carrying the initial member M will be locked against thefront face of wall l1. As shown in Figure 3 there are two pairs oflocking fingers I9 which are secured to the base plate I8. It will beunderstood that as many pairs of fingers as may be necessary may besecured to the base plate l8.

In the mounting of the initial holding device shown in Figures 1, 2 and3, the wall I! is provided with an opening of suitable size, preferably,of a size equal to the distance between the extensions 20 on the outerends of the locking members [9. The inner or divergent ends of thelocking members H] are normally spaced a distance slightly less than thesize of the opening 23 so that after the opening 23 has been formed inthe wall H, the locking members l9 may be inserted in the opening 23 andthe locking members then positioned inwardly. Inward movement of thelocking members 13 will cause the opposed locking members 9 to becompressed toward each other and at this time the inner free ends of thefingers may contact with each other. After the locking members l9 havebeen inserted in the opening 23 to the extent of the arcuate portions 2|thereof these locking members IE) will inherently spread apart to theirnormal position and in this position, the locking portions 24 thereofwill engage on the inner side of the wall so as to tightly secure thebase plate l3 against the wall i1.

What I claim is:

1. An article holder comprising an upstanding body plate merging at itstop into an upwardly, rearwardly and downwardly directed flange and atits bottom into a downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly directed flange,said flanges coacting with the inner face of said plate to form a pairof oppositely disposed channels for receiving the article to be held, arear upstanding base plate having the upper and lower lengthwisemarginal portions of its forward face secured to the rear side walls ofsaid channels, said front plate being formed with an opening forexposing the article in the holder, a rearwardly extending resilientlocking device for the holder secured to said base plate, and said frontplate being formed with upper and lower retaining means, for receivingextensions on the ends of the article bordering the upper and lowerwalls of said opening and each formed of a pair of spaced detentsbetween which the extensions on the ends of the article are positioned.

'2. An article holder comprising an upstanding body plate merging at itstop into an upwardly, rearwardly and downwardly directed flange and atits bottom into a downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly directed flange,said flanges coacting with the inner face of said plate to form a pairof oppositely disposed channels for receiving .the

"article to be held, a rear upstanding base plate having the upper andlower lengthwise marginal portions of its forward face secured to therear side walls of said channels, said base plate being formed with alengthwise extending slot, a rearwardly extending sectional resilientlocking device for the holder secured to the upper and lower lengthwisewalls of said slot, and said front plate formed with an opening forexposing the article in the holder.

3. An article holder comprising an upstanding body plate merging at itstop into an upwardly, rearwardly and downwardly directed flange and atits bottom into a downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly directed flange,said flanges coacting with the inner face of said plate to form a pairof oppositely disposed channels for receiving the article to be held, arear upstanding base plate having the upper and lower lengthwisemarginal portions of its forward face secured to the rear side walls ofsaid channels, said base plate being formed with a lengthwise extendingslot, a rear wardly extending sectional resilient locking device for theholder secured to the upper and lower lengthwise walls of said slot,said front plate formed with an opening for exposing the article in theholder, and said front plate being formed with upper and lower retainingmeans, for receiving extensions on the ends of the article bordering theupper and lower walls of said opening and each formed of a pair ofspaced detents between which the extensions on the ends of the articleare positioned.

4. An article holder comprising an upstanding body plate merging at itstop into an upwardly rearwardly and downwardly directed flange and atits bottom into a downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly directed flange,said flanges coacting with the inner face of said plate to form a pairof oppositely disposed channels of a length for receiving a plurality ofarticles to be held in sidewise alignment, said plate being formed witha plurality of spaced sidewise aligned openings for exposing thearticles held by the holder, a rear upstanding base plate having theupper and lower lengthwise marginal portions of its front face securedto the rear side walls of said channels, said base plate being formedlengthwise thereof with a slot, and a pair of rearwardly extendingspaced sectional locking devices for the holder each having its sectionssecured to the upper and lower walls of said slot.

5. An article holder comprising an upstanding body plate merging at itstop into an upwardly rearwardly and downwardly directed flange and atits bottom into a downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly directed flange,said flanges coacting with the inner face of said plate to form a pairof oppositely disposed channels of a length for receiving a plurality ofarticles to be held in sidewise alignment, said plate being formed witha plurality of spaced sidewise aligned openings for exposing thearticles held by the holder, a rear upstanding base plate having theupper and lower lengthwise marginal portions of its front face securedto the rear side walls of said channels, said base plate being formedlengthwise thereof with a slot, a pair of .rearwardly extending spacedsectional locking devices for the holder each having its sectionssecured to the upper and lower walls of said slot, and said front platebeing formed with spaced upper and spaced lower retaining means for theheld articles bordering the upper and lower walls of said openings, eachof said retaining means being formed of a pair of spaced inwardlydirected retainers between which an end of an article extends.

HENRY LAWRENCE MOYER.

